Wire support



June 15, 1965 c. D. IRISH WIRE SUPPORT Filed Oct. 23, 1962 INVENTOF? C.D. IRISH WCM ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,18%,682 WIRE SUPPGRTCarleton I). Irish, Neptune, N.J., assignor to Bell TelephoneLaboratories, Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New YorkFiled Oct. 23, 1962, Ser. No. 232,448 4 Claims. (Cl. 174-165) Theinvention herein disclosed and claimed relates to wire supportingdevices and, more particularly, to those for holding many wires. Anexample of the kind of support contemplated is the so-called Ifanningring which holds a bundle of wires at a point where individual wires orwire pairs are fanned out in various directions. Such supports are usedon switchboards, apparatus racks, etc.

An object of this invention is to facilitate the placing, the dressing,and the supporting of electrical conductors in switchboard and likeinstallations.

Another and more specific object is to improve upon existing means forsupporting and distributing a multiplicity of grouped wires.

A feature of the invention resides in a wire support or fanning ring ofinsulating material and adaptable for mounting on the various kinds ofsurface materials encountered in wiring; for example, steel, wood,concrete, and others.

An exemplary embodiment of the invention comprises a ring of moderatelyrigid but flexible plastic material having a metallic adjunct forsecuring the ring to walls, racks, switchboards ,and the like which aremade of various materials. This adjunct comprises a stud-like member ofstrong metal, such as steel, forced into a suitable orifice in the ringand having an extending portion suited for securing to the material ofthe surface on which the wire is supported; for example, a masonry nailport-ion shaped and hardened for driving into concrete, a machine screwfor going into a tapped hole in a metal frame; a wood screw or someother fastener to meet the condition encountered.

The securing means will ordinarily be attached to the wall, rack, etc.first and then the support ring mounted thereon by pressing the orificeover the exposed portion of the stud-like member. In given cases, whenit is required, two studs in separate orifice-s may be used to give afirmer support.

The ring has a slot in one end through which the insulated wire may beforced laterally. The slot is more narrow than the wire insulationdiameter so that the wires will be retained. The flexibility of the ringmaterial is sufficient to allow enough deflection to permit wireinsertion. A suitable material is a cellulose acetate bu'tyrate plastic,such as Tenite.

If this ring is used to support so many wires that it may tend to open abit, allowing wires to fall out, a rein-forcing keeper may be used. Thismay be of U- shape comprising a cross member and legs insertable intoholes on either side of the ring slot so that the cross member bridgesthe slot.

Other and further objects and features of this invention will appearmore fully and clearly from the following description of an exemplaryembodiment taken in connection with the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a partially exploded view showing the relation of the ring,the mounting stud, and the keeper; and FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 show variousforms of mounting studs.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ring 10 comprises two side members or rods 11and 12, a continuous or solid cross member, or end piece 13, and aninterrupted or split cross or end member comprising the spaced elements14 and 15. The side rods are advantageously cylindrical and have throughbores 16 and 17 either for receiving a mounting stud 18. The outer endof the stud shown in this figure has machine screw type threads. Such astud is also shown in FIG. 4.

The end members 14 and 15 are rounded or relieved at their juxtaposedfaces and are slightly spaced from each other. As previously indicated,the space is less than the diameter of the smallest insulated wire to beheld in this support. Although the ring has been described as made up ofparts 11, 12,.- 13, 14, and 15, it is advantageously molded in onepiece.

The keeper 20 has a bridge portion 21 conforming to the shape of theadjacent ring end and two pins or legs 22 and 23 for fitting into thebores 16 and 17. The pin 23, which ordinarily goes into the bore 17 notoccupied by the stud 18, is longer than the other and may serve as aretainer for the keeper until it is put into use by inserting the otherpin 22 into the bore 16.

The ring may be placed on the stud at any desired angle through a full360 degrees in a plane perpendicular to the stud axis. A portion of thestud may be fluted, as by knurling, so as to aid in retaining the ringon the stud. In this case, the stud is made of the same diameter as thebore and the fluting is slightly raised by the knurling operation sothat a tight fit will be assured. Other means and methods may be usedfor obtaining a good fit of these parts.

As may be seen by inspection of FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, the studs are allshown as fluted but differ in construction to suit the mount to whichthey are to be afiixed.

The stud of FIG. 2 is intended to be driven, as with a hammer, intomasonry. The stud of FIG. 3 is finished like a wood screw and is slottedfor driving with a screwdriver. The machine screw type of stud shown inFIGS. 1 and 4 also has a slot at one end but the threads are for matingwith a tapped hole in metal.

What is claimed is:

1. A wire supporting structure of elastic insulation for encompassing aplurality of wires and comprising laterally spaced cylindrical sidemembers joined at one end of each by an end piece of rectangular crosssection, and having at their opposite ends facing cantilevers ofrectangular cross section with their juxtaposed faces rounded and spacedfrom each other a distance slightly less than the diameter of each wireto be supported, a longitudinal bore in each side member and extendingthrough the end members and the cantilevers, a U-shaped keepercomprising a cross bar of rectangular section having parallel rightangular projections fitting into the bores in the cantilevers and theside members.

2. A support for a plurality of insulated wires comprising spacedparallel side rods, an end piece interconnecting adjacent end-s of theside rod-s, two juxtaposed end mem bers projecting respectively from theother ends of the rods with their adjacent faces in close proximity, thespace between these members being less than the diameter of theinsulated wire to be supported, said rods, end pieces, and end membersbounding a space sufilcient to include a plurality of wires, a bore inat least one side rod, mounting means in this bore, and a keepercomprising a bar having projections fitted respectively to the endmembers to prevent them from spreading apart under the pressure of manywires within the support.

3. A support as in claim 2 in which the projections are pins fittingbores in the end members and adjacent portions of the side rods.

4. A multiple insulating wire support of rectangular configurationcomprising spaced parallel side rods, a solid cross member connectingadjacent ends of the rods and a divided cross member including twofacing elements projecting respectively from the other ends of the rods,

the adjacent faces of the elements being closer together than thediameter of an insulated wire to be supported,

5.9 the space bounded by the rods and the cross members being sufficientto accommodate a plurality of Wires, each rod having an axial bore,mounting means secured within at least one bore, and a keeper comprisinga U-shaped member having legs fitting into the rod .bores at the dividedcross member end. I

, References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 591,104 10/97Roberts 174-166 X 1,217,315 12/17 Kendig -174157 2,701,820 2/55 M ar t h.174'164 2,870,245 1/59 Malme 174-l75 2,901,200 8/59 Voeks.

FOREIGN PATENTS 10/50 France. 10/40 Germany.

9/30 Great Britain. 4/46 Great Britain.

OTHER REFERENCES Hardewig: German printed application, 1,113,739,September 1961.

Kock: German printed application, 1,122,126, December 1962.

' Spelsberg: German printed application, 1,027,275, April 1958.

E. JAMES SAX, Primary Examiner.

15 JOHN P. WILDMAN, Examiner.

2. A SUPPORT FOR A PLURALITY OF INSUALTED WIRES COMPRISING SPACEDPARALLEL SIDE RODS, AN END PIECE INTERCONNECTING ADJACENT ENDS OF THESIDE RODS, TWO JUXTAPOSED END MEMBERS PROJECTING RESPECTIVELY FROM THEOTHER ENDS OF THE RODS WITH THEIR ADJACENT FACES IN CLOSE PROXIMITY, THESPACE BETWEEN THESE MEMBERS BEING LESS THAN THE DIAMETER OF THEINSULATED WIRE TO BE SUPPORTED, SAID RODS, END PIECES, AND END MEMBERSBOUNDING A SPACE SUFFICIENT TO INCLUDE A PLURALITY OF WIRES, A BORE INAT LEAST ONE SIDE ROD, MOUNTING MEANS IN THIS BORE, AND A KEEPERCOMPRISING A BAR HAVING PROJECTIONS FITTED RESPECTIVELY TO THE ENDMEMBERS TO PREVENT THEM FROM SPREADING APART UNDER THE PRESSURE OF MANYWIRES WITHIN THE SUPPOPRT.